How Far Can a Bet Go?
by Sunshinesque
Summary: When Tony says Pepper can't go a week without her usual antics a bet is created. She has to act like Whitney for a whole week, which Rhodey thinks she can do, but Tony has his doubts. Pepper's always up for a challenge; but how far will she take this on
1. Chapter 1

"But this is so boring!" Pepper complained for what seemed like the billionth time. Tony groaned, hitting his head on his computer keyboard. "I mean," Pepper got up from her spot in the chair next to him so she could pace around the room, "Are you just going to sit here for the nest hour and a half, waiting for it to download?!"

Rhodey sighed. "Ok, Pepper. What do _you _want to do?" The red head smiled, triumphantly crossing her arms. Tony rolled his eyes, wishing Rhodey hadn't asked. Now, she would go onto one of her infamous rants about the endless possibilities the three of them could do on a Wednesday night.

"There are a lot of things we could do! We could go on Ironman patrol, get a pizza, invite Gene over, or ma- OOH! We could have a party! Or maybe-" Tony ran a hand through his unruly ebony hair, his face twisting into an annoyed expression.

"Hey Rhodey; how long do you think Pepper can go with, well, not being Pepper? I give it a week." The only female in the lab raised an eyebrow, stopping her listing. "Er… what?" Rhodey leaned back in his seat, a thinking expression evident on his face.

"Is that a bet, Stark?" Pepper looked back and forth between the two boys. "What are you talking about?!"

Tony smirked. "I think it is, Rhodes." Pepper sat back down in her rolling chair next to the two boys. "What the heck!" Rhodey and Tony finally looked over at the girl, who, truth be told, was pissed beyond belief. She didn't want to sound like attention-needy Whitney, but she did _not _like being ignored

"Basically," Tony started, "We just formed a bet off of one statement. For terms of the bet, I'm saying Pepper has to go at least a week being anything but Pepper. I don't think she can make it… how about you?" The genius said, motioning towards the slightly taller boy.

"Nah, I think Pepper can go longer. Wait, no, that depends; what exactly does Pepper have to do?"

"Yeah, what exactly do I have to do?!" the hazel eyed girl asked loudly. They just made a bet about her while she was in the room. She didn't really understand the concept of the male brain, but usually when they made bets, weren't they supposed to, I don't know, do it behind her back?

"Well for one; stop talking all the time. Another one; no bubbly persona all the time. Anything to add, Rhodey?" The other boy made a humming sound, rubbing his chin in thumb and index finger.

"She's got to act like Whitney." Pepper nearly fell out of her seat.

"WHAT?!" Tony laughed. "Man, I'm definitely gonna win now! Yeah, she has to act and dress like Whitney for a whole week. Are we on?" Tony asked, sticking his hand out to his legal brother.

"Don't I get any say in this?!" Pepper asked in an anger tone. Tony pondered for a moment before shaking his head. "Nope. You heard the conditions, Pepper. You have to act like Whitney for a whole week; if you can't, I win. If you can, Rhodey wins."

Rhodey smirked. "Winner does the others homework for two weeks?" Tony lightly laughed, sticking his hand out one more time to shake Rhodey's.

"Sounds good." Pepper couldn't help but laugh at the two boys. "Tony, what, you don't have faith in me?" The brunette looked over at her before laughing again. "Nope." Pepper covered her mouth in mock surprise. "Well then! Be prepared to do Rhodey's homework for two weeks then, Stark, because I'm soooo capable of this. Whitney has no brain, so if she can do it, so can I! I mean, the wardrobe might be hard, but the personality will be easy to impersonate because she doesn't even have one! I just have to walk around all day acting like a blonde bimbo and strut to every cla-"

Tony smirked while Rhodey groaned, covering his face in his hands. "Pepper, you're talking too much. This is going to be the easiest bet ever…" Tony mused.

* * *

"She hasn't even showed up for school yet, man! She already chickened out! And it's not even day one!" Tony said while leaning against Rhodey's locker at the beginning of school. The bell was going to ring in about five minutes, and then after the second bell five minutes after _that, _they would head to their first class. Kids were still arriving, but since Pepper's dad was an FBI agent, he usually had to be at work early, so he would drop Pepper off at school at least twenty minutes before the first bell. Here they were, five minutes before the first bell, and she was yet to show.

"I don't know. Pepper doesn't seem the type to give up on a challenge that easily…" Rhodey said while taking a book out from his locker. Suddenly, the school doors swung open and Happy let out a low wolf whistle, causing every head in the hallway to look at what Happy was whistling over.

Pepper walked in through the doors wearing a rather short pleated jean miniskirt that went to about mid thigh. She was wearing a low cut, long sleeved V neck that was similar in attire to Whitney's well known red one. Only difference; it was pink, and a white lace camisole could be seen from just under it. Her hair was as she would wear it everyday; down. However, she did have one clip in it that had brown rhinestones on it that matched with her brown rhinestone stud earrings. Her signature converse were replaced by three and a half inch brown pumps; one hand was gripping a Louis Vuitton Cherry Blossom Papillon Brown Handbag (Google it :P) while the other was casually flipping her hair over one shoulder.

Tony, along with all the other guys in the school, gawked as the red haired beauty made her way through the sea of students, all of them clearing a path for her to get to her locker. After Pepper had her little 'moment', she strut over to her locker, opening it to drop her handbag inside and grab her needed text/notebooks.

Tony watched as what seemed like an endless number of guys walked up to Pepper, surrounding her with their suggestive smiled and lust-filled eyes. Pepper laughed at one of the jokes one of the guys told her, her usual high pitch laugh erupting from her lips. She could have laughed the exact same way yesterday, but by the way she threw her head back like it was the most hysterical thing ever and playfully touch the guy's arm as she did so made her seem so…

Tony couldn't quite place the word on it. Rhodey said she did this when she was with Tony and Gene, it was like showing someone you like them… a display of affection…. Oh, what was the word? Tony mentally ran a list of all possible words in his head, his genius brain at work. "Look at her, flirting with all those guys. She sure seems to like the attention." Rhodey remarked, watching as they offered to do things like carry her books and walk her to class.

"Flirting! That's the word!" Tony said as he snapped his fingers in recognition. Rhodey rolled his eyes. "You're such a nerd, dude! I guess you really wouldn't care if you had to do all my homework for two whole weeks, which, by the way, will happen. Look at her; she looks thoroughly entertained."

All the females in the hall looked at Pepper in such envy and jealousy, all of them wishing they could be in her spot right now. Tony thought he even saw Whitney look at her desperately before she snapped her head back around and stuck her nose in the air. She never really liked anyone besides herself getting attention…

"It's in the bag!" Rhodey cheered cockily while shutting his locker. Tony hadn't even heard the remark. Well, yes, he had, but he hadn't really processed it; all that was processing through his head was how he wished he could get in the Mark 01 armor and torture ever single one of the starring guys until they screamed bloody murder.

_**A/N Chapter one. How do you like? Some random idea I came up with. First Pepperony fic I'm going to write, and I'm not sure whether I should keep going. I need at least one review if I'm going to continue this story, because none means I'm writing this for nothing O_o wellllll not for nothing, but still. You get the point :)**_

_**When Pepper was walking into school, I imagined 'Suddenly I see' by KT Tunstall playing. I imagined the chorus playing as she walks in the school and does her little slut strut (as i call it)**_


	2. Chapter 2

**ONE DAY EARLIER**

"Hi Mrs. Brown. Is Amanda home?" Pepper asked while putting on a smile. The middle aged woman peered at the ginger from above the rim of her glasses, noting the look of anxiety and nervousness on her face.

"Yes she is, Pepper. Amanda?" Mrs. Brown called up the stairs. The hazel eyed girl walked inside the open door. Mrs. Brown shut it as a girl with long, cinnamon hair walked down the stairs in a black, high waist-ed skirt and white button down with the sleeves pushed up.

"Pepper, hi! I didn't know you were coming over!" The browns were Pepper's neighbors, and the eighteen year old Amanda was probably one of the only girlfriends that Pepper had.

"Well, here I am!" She greeted with a warm smile. Amanda smiled back while walking back up the stairs. "Mom, we're going to go in my room, ok?" The older woman waved it off and entered the kitchen, where Pepper could smell a fresh pot of coffee being prepared.

"So what brings you here at six o'clock on a school night?" Amanda asked while she walked into her peach colored room, shutting the door after Pepper came in. The red head sat on her bed, sighing as she did so.

"Long story short; I need to become, er, _girly_…" She said with detest. The slightly older female rose one of her slim eyebrows before walking over to her closet.

"Details, please." Pepper groaned and stood up, walking next to her friend. She nervously looked at the inside of the girl's walk in closet; hanging on the racks were endless skirts, dresses, and other feminine articles of clothing. Lining the bottom were countless pairs of strappy sandals, glittery flats and pointy, uncomfortable looking high heals. Pepper's eye twitched in disgust.

"So, uh, I need to dress girly, act girly, and… well, be a girl. I mean, I don't care personally, it's just… I'm trying to prove Tony wrong." She explained. The other girl nodded. "So," She smirked, crossing her arms over her chest, "You want to impress Tony by showing him just how _girly _you can be?"

Pepper's eyes widened in shock. "W-what? No, that's not it at all! There's a bet that him and Rhodey made about seeing if I can act like this girl, Whitney, for a whole week. She's a really pretty, really slutty, really… obnoxious snob and a master when it comes to boys which… I know nothing about." Pepper replied lamely.

Amanda laughed while shaking her head. "So by proving Tony wrong, you're proving to him that you like him." Pepper nodded. "Yeah, that's-- WHAT?! I never said I liked Tony!" The brunette laughed and walked into her closet, pulling out a pair of heels. "Put these on."

The crimson haired girl grudgingly took off her oh-so-comfy converse to replace them with pointy silver heels that had bows on the front. "First: the walk. When you're wearing heels, you have the advantage of making your butt look bigger and your waist look smaller. To master this walk, first lean your shoulders back and keep your head up straight. I should be able to balance something on your head if your posture is right." Amanda went to her bookshelf to get out a book as Pepper followed her instructions as best she could.

She picked up a novel labeled 'The cupcake queen' by Heather Hepler, a novel that wasn't very thick or lengthy. She approached her friend again and placed it on her head slowly. After removing her hands, the book stayed their, perfectly balanced. "Good…" Amanda mused before picking up a glass of water.

"What are you doing with that?" Pepper nervously asked while Amanda placed it on top of the book. At first, it balanced very nicely… and then Pepper sneezed.

"ACHOO!" the glass of water came flying off her head, splashing all over Amanda's face, causing her makeup to slowly run down her cheeks and chin. If THAT weren't bad enough, the book came toppling off as well, hitting the girl in her nose.

One bloody nose, seven tissues, and an Advil later, Pepper stood in the same position next to her injured friend. Even after her little mess up, Amanda refused to stop helping her because… well, she needed the help.

"Throw your shoulders back, and push your pelvis slightly forward. See what I'm saying?" Pepper nodded, a smile playing on her lips. "Step two:Train yourself to place the heel of the foot down first, then your toes, but keep most of your weight balanced on the ball of your foot rather than on the heel. It may feel strange, but keeping much of your weight on the ball of the foot gives you more of an elegant stride than a clunky heel- weighted walk would."

Pepper blinked a few times. "Er…what?" Amanda slapped her forehead. "Think of it as walking on your tippy-toes." Pepper took a few hesitant steps forward, spun on her heel, and then walked back. "Like this?" Amanda chuckled. "Something like that… Step three: Put one foot in front of the other. Literally. Toes should face forward. Your footprints should form a single line, as if you are walking on a rope or a beam. When done quickly, this gives the body that characteristic swing boy's absolutely _adore._"

Pepper tried it once before stumbling to her side a bit. She quickly regained her balance and straightened out her shirt before taking a few more steps and repeating it back over to her friend. "Good! Step Four: keep your arms at your sides. Don't let them tense up or fidget; it draws attention away from your body and to your hands, and it's easy to see if someone is nervous from that action. You want to look confident; keep that in mind."

Pepper nodded uncertainly, wondering how the _hell_ she was going to remember all this tomorrow morning. "Last step: at a little more sway to your hips than you usually would. It makes you look more seductive, and trust me; you'll be the highlight of the morning, girl. Turn your swag on a bit." Amanda said while a teasing smile grew on her face. "Now, for the best part; flirting. What exactly do you know about this beautiful art?"

Pepper scoffed. "Beautiful art?" Amanda ignored the comment. "I'll take that as a big, fat nothing. Never loose eye contact with them, always laugh at their jokes, and touch them every now and then. No booming laughter or loud and fast talking; boys find it more attractive when a girl seems soft and, for lack of a better word, feminine. Got it?"

Pepper wrinkled her nose. "Uh… sure." After Amanda picked out her clothes for the next day and offered to lend her more clothes tomorrow (which Pepper happily agreed to), the friends said good bye to each other.

**ONE DAY LATER**

"Tony, relax a bit. You look like you're going to kill someone." Rhodey commented, his face contorted into a worried yet slightly amused expression. His friend angrily watched Pepper's endless crowd of fan boys gather around her locker while she got her stuff. The first bell of the school rang, and Rhodey pushed Tony away from the scene so they could head to their first period class; English.

"I didn't know that the amazing Tony Stark could get jealous." Rhodey remarked while they sat down in one of the rows towards the back. The English room was set up much like a college classroom would be where the seats got higher as you neared the back. Rhodey took a seat on the left side of his friend, setting his back pack on the floor and pulling out his textbook.

"I'm not jealous. I just, uh, don't want to have to do your homework is all." Rhodey rolled his eyes. "Because that's obviously the real reason…" Pepper walked into the classroom after a crowd of students before her, and Tony couldn't help but notice the entertained expression she was wearing.

"Hey guys!" She said in her usually bubbly voice while she took a seat next to Tony. The ebony haired boy tried his best not to look at her. Now, you must understand; Tony is not a particularly perverted guy. He was just smart enough to realize that if he looked at her, the possibility of his hormones taking over was… well, highly likely. So he decided against it until he could learn to keep them under control.

"Nice of you to join us, Pepper." Rhodey said while the corners of his mouth lifted up into a smirk. "Why wouldn't I?" She asked curiously. The boy shrugged. "I'm still the same Pepper. Well, mostly." After Tony regained some of himself, he turned his head to look at the girl. He only now realized she was wearing a soft blush and light pink lip gloss which made her look even more…

_Agh! _Tony mentally slapped himself for _almost_ letting him think that. No. this was a bet. This was his best friend he was thinking about. This was the same Pepper. Even though she looked rather… well, _un _Pepper-like. _Deep breaths, deep breaths…_ Tony coached himself.

"Don't forget; gotta act like Whitney. I know I'm just asking to lose the bet now, but… I think you should go _act _like Whitney towards someone." Rhodey said while suggestively wriggling his eyebrows. Pepper laughed. "What does that mean?" She asked in between her soft giggles. Rhodey shrugged. "Go flirt with someone. Go flirt with…" His eyes scanned over the filling seats of the English room before they stopped on someone. Rhodey smirked.

"Go flirt with Gene."

_**A/N **__**Oh ho ho, what will happen next? Sorry to leave you off on such a… what's it called? The cliff word… ummmm CLIFFHANGER! I remembered itttt! Be proud of meee!**_

_**I personally thank you if you reviewed last chapter, because honestly? That made my day :) I'll keep going on with the story; though I plan it should only be around seven or eight chapters. Bear with me! Oh, and please… want to make my day again? You can try… by reviewing!!!!!**_

'_**American Boy' By Estelle, feat. Kayne West was on repeat during her little make over scene. It has a good beat, and I could kind of imagine her walking to it while she was practicing her catwalk moves. The steps that Amanda was trying to teach Pepper were partially copied. I searched 'how to walk like a model' on Google, and I got the steps off this random website. So, uh… Disclaimer: I do not own the steps! They belong to the random website who's name escapes me… oh well, that's good enough :P**_


	3. Chapter 3

"WHAT?!" Pepper and Tony shouted at the same time. Rhodey cringed, but smiled nonetheless. "You heard me. Come on, Pots. After class, go, um, what's the phrase…go _seduce _him." Tony's eye twitched as he silently cussed out his supposed 'best friend'.

Pepper fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat, but soon after grinned. "Yeah, ok Rhodey. I won't let you lose that easily. Since you guys decide everything in this bet, what are the 'rules' for seducing him?" Pepper asked while putting air quotes around the word 'rules'.

Rhodey pondered for a moment while the teacher started to begin the lesson. He leant over to her so he could whisper. "You have to use a pick-up line," Rhodey tried to hide his laughter, "And then ask him to go on a date after school. What do you think, Tony?" Tony looked over at the two before his eyes narrowed at Rhodey.

He wasn't an idiot. He knew what Rhodey was trying to do. The reason he kept urging Pepper to go farther in their bet was because he was trying to get a reaction out of Tony. _Well, _Tony said while smugly smirking to himself, _He's not going to get one._

"Gene? Sure." Pepper's smile faltered. So Tony didn't care whether she went on a date with another guy? She was a little upset about his lack of interest or jealousy. "I have a _wicked _good pick-up line I could use. _No_ guy could resist it." If Tony was going to act all arrogant and cocky about the bet, well, so was she.

"No guy? Doubt it." Tony said while facing forward again, tapping the end of his pencil on the deck repeatedly. Pepper chuckled. "Oh, you just wait and see." Rhodey couldn't help but laugh to himself on how his two best friends could be so… _competitive _with each other.

The rest of class passed by rather quickly, Pepper, Tony, and Rhodey all anxiously waiting for the move Pepper was about to make. A bell erupted from the school, and the three of them gathered their belongings and made their way out of the classroom.

"Gene's locker is right over there," Rhodey said while pointing to the dark haired boy putting away his textbooks at one of the lockers, "So go get 'em!" Pepper grew a dark smile on her face, almost as if she would enjoy doing this. Almost.

"Oh, I will…" Pepper started to make her way over to the boy, her tall heels clicking against the tiled floors all the way there.

"Hey Gene." She greeted. The sixteen year old finished putting in his last text book before shutting his locker and turning around.

"Oh, hey Pepper."

Tony reached into his pocket, pulling out his cell phone from it. Rhodey raised an eyebrow in question. "Um…?" He angled the mouth piece to where Pepper and Gene were and stuck in a pair of headphones, motioning for Rhodey to take one of them. He hesitantly stuck it in, students around them all in hurries to get to their next classes.

"I downloaded a new app on my phone for long distant hearing. We should be able to hear their conversation, even from all the way over here…"

"Wow Pepper. Really?" The red head nodded her head, giggling while twirling a piece of her hair. "So what's up?"

Pepper smiled almost teasingly. "I just had skittles." She licked her top lip slowly, causing Gene's face to turn a lovely shade of a light pink as he watched her do so. She softly rested both her hands on one of his shoulders and stood on her tippy-toes. Her hot breath was blowing into Gene's ear while she whispered in a seducing voice,

"Do _you _want to taste the rainbow?"

Rhodey tried to cover his laughing from his and Tony's rather stalker-ish position on the other end of the hallway. "Man, she's good!" He mused. Tony angrily ripped the earphones out of his and his friend's ear, shoving his phone back into his pocket. He started walking over to Gene and Pepper, who were still in the position Pepper had set them up in.

"Uh, um…" Pepper couldn't help but grin to herself at how the usually suave and sly Gene Khan was so… flustered.

"Pepper…" She turned her head a bit so she could see who had addressed her. "Tony?" There was the brunet boy, his eyebrows furrowed furiously and the corners of his mouth turned slightly downward in a frown. He nearly growled at them before grabbing the girl's wrist and pulling her away from the boy.

"Tony, what are you doing?!" He had already pulled her about halfway down the hallway, and as much as she tried to squirm away from the boy's grasp, it was too tightly wound around her wrist.

"Tony!" She cried, frustrated. He refused to let go of her, still pulling her down the hallway to who knows where while students entered various class rooms.

"ANTHONY STARK!" Finally, she caught his attention. He turned around sharply, his eyes mad and his mouth still in a frown.

"What was that for?!" She complained, pulling her wrist out of his grasp to cross them over her chest. "Why'd you do that?" She questioned, her voice rising slightly in volume.

"Why did I do that? Why did you do that!" He argued back. "Me?! You and Rhodey told me to as part of my bet!" He turned around again and started to walk back down the hall. "Hey! I'm not done talking with you yet!" She said, running after him.

"Yeah? Well I'm done talking with you. I have to get to class." He mumbled while opening a door to the Math room harshly and walking inside quickly, only to close it shut and leave Pepper in the hall alone.

After a moment of silence and bewilderment, she spoke her thoughts out loud.

"What just happened?"

_**A/N Yes, what DID just happen? Hmm, I hate jealousy on girls, but on Tony… its hot ;)**_

_**Next chapter, expect some Gene and Pepper fluff. Personally, I'm not exactly fond of their shipping, but hey; it's for the plot. I was listening to 'Dangerous to Know' by Hilary Duff… if you listen to the lyrics and REEEAALLLLYYY think about it, it sort of applies to how Pepper feels. Especially around 2 minutes and 20 seconds into the song… if you listen to it, you'll know what I mean! The part of the song I'm talking about is a few seconds after that, but whatever. I'm sure you'll figure out what part I'm talking about. If you feel up to it, please review. I didn't have the best day today (first day back at school off of February Vacation) and it would brighten it up a bit :)**_

_**Also, I'm going to be starting a new Iron Man: Armored Adventures story. If you're interested, you can go to my profile page and look it up. Pepperony, obviously :)**_


	4. Chapter 4

"Hm, jealous you say?" Amanda asked while thoughtfully stroking her chin. Pepper eagerly nodded.

"Yes! Isn't that great?! Not only will he eat his words, but I'LL get some fun out of it too!" Pepper said while clapping her hands together excitedly. As soon as school had ended, Pepper ran to Amanda's house in a hurry to tell her of the day's events and ask for more clothes to borrow. Her friend was ecstatic; although the red head denied it, she knew she liked Tony (a lot), and maybe this would finally get them together.

"Phenomenal! I say tha-" Pepper's phone started to ring, interrupting Amanda's sentence. Pepper picked it up, scanning over the caller ID with her eyes. "Gene?" She flipped the phone open and pressed it to her ears.

"_Hey Pepper. I was wondering… do you want to maybe go with me to the opening of this new restaurant downtown? A band will be playing and stuff, it should be fun." _

Pepper's smile from before faltered a little as she put the phone on mute and repeated every word to the brunette. She nodded quickly, mouthing the words 'say yes!' while she clasped her hands together in front of her. Pepper cpuldn't help but feel a little guilty; After all, she only pretended to be interested in Gene. What if he actually liked her? After debating the consequences a little in her mind, she shook her head. Pepper unmated it and began to speak into the mouthpiece.

"Sorry Gene, but…" Amanda pulled the phone away from her and made her voice slightly higher while speaking in her best Pepper voice.

"Yeah, that sounds great! Pick me up in an hour!" And then slammed the phone shut while giving Pepper a glare that could kill. "What did you do that for?!" The auburn hair gir shouted while huffing and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Heeelllooooo?! Tony would get even more jealous if he knew you were going out with Gene! It's the perfect set up for a jello boy!" Pepper raised an eyebrow at the other girl. "Jello?" Amanda rolled her eyes while going to her closet and rummaging through it.

"You know what I mean! And anyway, I have the perfect outfit for you to wear…" After a few minutes of throwing out various items of clothing from her closet, she squealed and pulled out a dress on a hanger. It was a soft pink sundress that had thick straps and went to about mid thigh. It was pretty plain; no bows or anything. Just casual enough, but also perfect for making a boy go googly eyes over her.

"Are you sure about this?" She asked while Amanda pulled out a pair of black sandals that had about ½ an inch heel.

"I know how the guy mind works. Make sure you're flirty and fun and act like friends. Nothing more than maybe one dance, because guys will sometimes think you're dating if he sneaks in a kiss or two. Keep that in mind, because that way you can say to Tony you're just friends, but he'll still wish he could be more." Pepper's eyes widended while her jaw dropped. "Tony?! What are you taking about! I don't like Tony, and he doesn't like me! I just want to make him regret saying that I'm not feminine." She said while sticking her nose in the air and crossing her arms over her chest.

Amanda scoffed. "Sure… just get dressed we have a lot of prepping we have to do in order to make you look absolutely delicious!" Pepper groaned. "What did I get myself into?"

* * *

"Wow, pepper; you look great." The red looked down while smiling, a small blush resting on her cheeks. She wasn't used to guys besides Tony paying attention to her…Although she wouldn't quite say Tony paid attention to her; it was more like he acknowledged what she wore because she asked him what he thought about it.

"Thanks. You look great too." And it wasn't a lie; he wore dark jeans and a green polo shirt, his usual glasses on his face as he held a single rose in his hand. "For you." He handed the beautiful flower to peppe, who began feeling even more guilty than before.

"Thanks Gene!" She said in a unnoticeably fake bubbly voice. He smiled and waited as she walked into his limo first, him getting in after and shutting the door. After a short ten minute ride filled with laughs and loud radio music, they were at the restaurant. Pepper scooted out of the car after Gene while they walked into the place.

It gave off this really fun and exciting vibe; it was a silver, sleek building, and the inside was carpeted with white and black tiles. The tables had white clothes cloaking them and silver candelabras, the napkins resting on it black along with the chairs. The walls were black on some sides and white on others; it was all black, white, and silver, Pepper noticed while they walked through the doors glass doors.

Gene gave his name, and soon after they were escorted to a table outside the canopy of the moon and stars where the band played a collection of different genres of music in front of a small dance floor. Pepper and Gene continued to talk and laugh at each other's stories and what not, them both having a good time. Pepper almost forgot it was a date until some soft music started to play and Gene asked her to dance.

"Um… ok." She allowed him to lift her up by her hand and lead her to the dance floor, where a couple other young people were dancing. Pepper wrapped her arms arouns Gene's neck while he did the same with her waist, and then they started to sway to the music surrounding them.

Pepper couldn't help but notice how this didn't exactly feel… right. She wouldn't say awkward, exactly. More like she was dancing with her brother or cousin, not a guy she would have a crush on per say. After a few minutes of quiet laughter and hushed talking between them, the song ended, and after they ate and paid the bill, Gene called his limo to bring them home.

"This was really nice, Gene. Thank you." Pepper said shyly while sticking her nose in the rose he gave her at the beginning of their little outgoing.

"The pleasure is all mine." He picked up her small hand and kissed it, causing Pepper to giggle at the tickling sensation and blush at the same time. The white limo that was sort of Gene's signature ride pulled up next to them, and Gene (being the gentleman he is…) helped her in and shut he door after himself.

"I had a lot of fun." She admitted after a few minutes of silent driving. He smiled. "Good." A few more minutes of conversation passed between them before they arrived at Pepper's house. Gene, after opening the door again for Pepper, walked to the door with the girl.

"I really like you, pepper. I'm happy you said yes to coming out with me tonight.," He leaned in, closing his eyes on Pepper's front door step to give her a kiss. Guilt rushed insed her as she sighed and turned her head, causing him to kiss her cheek.

"Gene…" She began.

"I have something to tell you."

_**A/N Sorry I haven't updated in, like, a week. So much had been going on; I had to help my friend prepare for their bar mitzvah, go dress shopping with them, study for a couple tests and cram on a few projects. I'm sorry!**_

_**The song I imagined playing when they were dancing was 'Home' By Michael Buble. It's a really good song, one of my favorite actually. Michael Buble's one of my favorite artists. I suggest listening to him!**_


	5. Chapter 5

Everyone was surprised when they saw Pepper walk in the next day. She was sporting a shoulder hugging blue sweater and pleated brown skirt that went about to mid thigh. She had on golden gladiator sandals and was carrying a rather expensive looking coach hand bag. That's not what surprised everyone though; what surprised everyone was the sad, dull expression painted on her face as she shuffled over to Tony and Rhodey at their lockers.

"Hi guys…" She said sadly. Rhodey gave Tony a skeptical look before returning his gaze to the red headed girl in front of him.

"Hi Pepper… Something wrong?" Rhodey asked. The only girl in their group slowly brought her head up to gaze at the other end of the hall. Gene was unpacking his books from his backpack to his locker, anger evident on his face. She sighed and returned her gaze downward, looking at her feet.

"No…" Tony couldn't help but notice how she looked up at Gene for that brief moment, almost like she was contemplating whether to tell them something or not. The bell rang throughout the school, and the three of them slowly made their way to their first block class; physics.

Tony stuck his hands in his pockets while Rhodey folded them behind his head, the boys leading the way to their classroom. After getting through the doors and going to three open seats in the back, Pepper resumed her position of looking rather sad and hopeless.

"Uhm, Pepper?" Tony tried. She focused her attention on him, her eyes full of hurt.

"Yes?" _I'm sorry, Pepper. I should've never made this stupid bet, you're so much better than this. Will you please forgive me?_ Tony tried to coach himself into saying those words, but the boy just couldn't set aside his pride to apologize to the girl he cared so deeply about.

The thought that _Pepper _was the girl he cared so deeply about made his cheeks burn, and instead of saying the words he had been coaching himself all last night to say, this came out of his mouth:

"Hey look, there's Gene. Maybe you should go sit with him, Pepper, because the bet-" He stopped himself.

"Uh, I mean…"

"No, I get it. I'm supposed to be flirting with him and all." She stood up, collecting her things, and walked over to where Gene was sitting in the back row alone.

"Uh… Hi, Gene." The Asian boy briefly looked up to see Pepper sheepishly smiling at him while rubbing the back of her neck. He leaned back in his chair, folding his arms over his chest. Well, he hadn't shooed her away yet, so Pepper took that as a good sign and sat down next to him.

After a few unbearable moments of silence, she decided it was her turn to speak. "Look, Gene, I-"

"Were you sent over here just as another flirting experiment for your stupid bet?" Pepper cringed at the words before sighing.

"Yeah… I'm really sorry, Gene. I didn't, I mean I assumed you just liked me for, um, you know…" She gestured to her new clothes, Gene gazed at her from behind his sunglasses before sitting up straight and placing both of his hands on the desk.

"Honestly; I didn't just like you for your new look. I liked you for your personality, your will to speak your mind, and how no one can tell you what to do. Your new look just gave me the push I needed to ask you out."

Pepper sadly smiled while Gene continued. "And I kinda hate Stark because you like him." Pepper's eyes widened. "WHAT?! I don't like T-Tony! That's soooo not true! I…"

Gene raised a hand to silence her. "Don't deny it. It's painfully obvious, actually. But, I'll make you a deal. I don't want to see Stark win this bet. He doesn't deserve the satisfaction of that. So, I'll do any pretending you want me to… on one condition." Pepper inwardly rolled her eyes. Even when Gene was upset, he was still the tiniest bit self centered.

"You introduce me to your friend Amanda." Pepper just laughed.

"You bounce back fast!"

"What can I say? So, do we have a deal?"

Pepper smiled while sticking her hand out to shake his.

"Deal."

* * *

"What a change. She was all sad for first block, and after talking with lover boy over there, she's her usual bubbly self again!" Happy acknowledged from where he, Tony, and Rhodey were standing on the left side of the gym.

Pepper, clad in the school's gym uniform consisting of a tight white tee shirt and rather short blue Sophie's, was leaning against the wall, biting her lip in a flirty fashion while twirling a piece of her fiery hair. Gene (also in his gym uniform) was supporting himself on one hand, leaning against the wall with Pepper under him by only an inch or two.

Tony's eye twitched. Sure, he used to dislike Gene. But now, he downright _hated _the guy. "Look at him, trying to get all close to her like a typical guy. He's probably just using her, you know. And I can't believe Pepper's letting him! I thought she was smarter than that stupid creep! And-" Tony stopped when he saw Happy and Rhodey trying to hold back giggles.

"What?" He asked in an annoyed tone. Rhodey snickered and shared a look with Happy before coughing and regaining his composure. "Nothing, dude." Happy said while slapping a hand down on his shoulder.

"Nothing at all."

* * *

"I would love to go to the dance with you, Gene!" Tony growled lowly from his position across the lunch room. Gene had just asked Pepper to go to the upcoming dance next Friday, and of course, she had to say her answer as loudly and flirtatiously as possible.

"Well Stark; it seems you're losing your little girlfriend." Tony turned to his side, where a girl carrying a small black purse was standing with her hands on her hips.

"I'm sorry… do I know you?" He started. The girl smiled and sat next to him. Rhodey, who was sitting across from Tony, gave him a dubious look while Happy practically drooled.

"No. My name's Amanda. So Pepper; she's a cutie, huh? Her and that Khan kid sure look adorable together. But then again; what sounds better? Pepper Khan? Or Pepper Stark?" Tony raised an eyebrow at the brunette beauty sitting next to him.

"I'm sorry… _what_?" The girl giggled and then stood up. "It was nice talking to you, Tony." She then swaggered over to where a couple extremely good looking and popular senior girls were sitting at a circular lunch table. Happy looked at her, then at Rhodey, then at Tony, then at the girl again, and then at Tony once more.

"Who was she and how come she just talked to STARK out of all people?" Tony glared at the jockey.

"Gee, thanks Happy…" The basketball star's eyes shifted once more to the senior girl and then back to Tony and Rhodey. "Was she wearing the same shoes that Pepper was wearing yesterday?" Tony and Rhodey both looked at her feet only to realize that Happy had been right.

"Well that's odd…" Rhodey started while taking a sip of the coke he was holding. "She seemed to be very interested in your little love triangle, too." Happy noticed while stuffing some fried in his mouth.

"What love triangle?" Tony asked. For a super genius, he sure was clueless at time.

"Well, you like Pepper, Gene likes Pepper, and Pepper likes both of you guys. So…" Happy drew a triangle in the air with his finger.

"Love triangle." Tony rolled his eyes.

"That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard of. I don't like pepper, she doesn't like me. End of story. Just friends, and that's it." Happy raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Then how come you're so jealous of Gene right now? I could practically hear you grinding your teeth when she accepted his invitation to the dance!" Tony slammed a fist on the table.

"THAT'S BULLSHIT! Rhodey, who's right in this fight?!" Rhodey, who had been silently watching their little argument and had kept quiet the whole time, swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat

"Well…" He had gotten by unnoticed so far, why did he have to choose a side now?

"I agree with Happy." He mumbled quietly while throwing his hands in front of himself to block anything Tony would attack him with. After a few seconds, Rhodey opened his eyes and brought down his guard to look at Tony, who's face was expressionless. His mouth was slightly open, and his cheeks were flushed from the yelling he had just been doing.

"…Really? Does everyone think I like Pepper?" Rhodey slowly nodded, and not soon after he did, Tony gradually straightened his back.

"…Oh."

Rhodey looked at Happy, who was just as surprised as he was. Tony wasn't one to be at a loss for words, so why the sudden change in personality? After a few seconds of no moving, blinking, or even breathing, Tony picked up his apple and took a bite out of it.

Rhodey and Happy still skeptically stared at their friend, who stared back at them with an irritated look on his face.

"What are you guys looking at?"

_**A/N I'm so sorry for not updating for so long. I had a huge poetry project for English, I had to make a 3D model of a plant cell in science, recreate a diagram of one of China's regions for Social studies, and study for a huge common assessment I had in math, not to mention that I like this boy and was hanging out with him a lot and-**_

_**Never mind. I'm sure you guys don't want to hear about the sex god- I mean boy- I'm crushing on :)**_

_**But I'll tell you anyway if you want :) if your interested, leave a review saying you would like me to describe this guy I am falling in love with 3**_

_**I was listening to 'Trouble' by Coldplay, addicting song actually. Kind of suits the beginning of this chapter. I was also listening to 'Everything' by Michael Buble. I could imagine it playing while Tony's watching the flirty-ness between Pepper and Gene. Good times, Good times...**_

_**Someone once put that my chapters were 'painfully short'. Please tell me if this is true, because I have a lot going on and I want to know if I should put more time into writing longer chapters. Much appreciated :)**_


	6. Chapter 6

Tony Stark is a lot of things. He's smart, quite handsome, witty, funny, and a friend to everyone. One thing Tony Stark isn't, though, is a good liar.

"No, I do not like Pepper, Rhodey!"

"Then how come you won't look me in the eye when saying that?"

Tony looked over at Rhodey, glaring.

"Happy?"

"Delighted."

* * *

**James Rhodes Facebook log in:**

**James Rhodes thinks Tony should stop denying it.**

**Happy Hogan, Amanda Brown, and Gene Khan like this.**

**Read all 6 comments.**

**Tony Stark: What the heck Rhodey?!**

**Gene Khan: Dude, it's so obvious.**

**Tony Stark: Why do you even care, Gene? Aren't you, like, dating her?**

**Patricia Potts: Dating who? Me? What about me?**

**Tony Stark: Nothing.**

**James Rhodes: Actually, Everything, man :)**

**Tony Stark thinks that James Rhodes needs to get out of his personal life.**

**Whitney Stane likes this.**

**Read all 9 comments.**

**Patricia Potts: What is everyone talking about!**

**Gene Khan: Well, babe, I think maybe we could talk it over dinner. Pick you up at six?**

**Patricia Potts: Sure :)**

**Happy Hogan: Did you seriously just ask out Pepper… over Facebook… and on STARK'S WALL OUT OF ALL PEOPLE!**

**Patricia Potts: Why would it matter if it was on Tony's wall? It's not like he cares…**

**Happy Hogan: That's what you think…**

**Patricia Potts: What?**

**Happy Hogan: YOUR MOM!**

**Patricia Potts: Thanks, Happy…**

* * *

"Pepper! OUR PLAN IS WORKING!" Amanda yelled into her phone. Pepper shrunk away from it, cringing.

"Uh… I guess?"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU GUESS! Were you NOT on Facebook after school today?! His friends were obviously talking about you!" Pepper rolled her eyes, even though she knew Amanda couldn't see it on the phone. Pulling a pillow into a hug while sitting on her bed, she spoke again.

"Or not." Amanda groaned.

"I guess he's not the only one in denial…" Pepper raised an eyebrow.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Amanda bit her lip. She could tell her, but then again… that might ruin the obviously-going-to-happen relationship she and Tony will have… eventually. "I mean…" She had to choose her words carefully. She didn't want to spoil the happily ever after she knew her friend deserved.

"You should start to prep for your and Gene's date. Tony'll be there, too, so wear something hot!" Pepper agreed with a small sigh, signifying a yes. Not a moment later, she did a spit take (if she had had a drink in her mouth at the time...).

"What do you mean Tony'll be there?"

"Oh honey, the beauty of surprise." Pepper could practically hear Amanda's smile, as Amanda could probably the grinding of Pepper's teeth.

* * *

"Here you kids go…" Pepper thanked their seating host with a smile as she slid into one of the booths at an old fashioned diner. Gene slid in on the other side, and the propped up their menus to look at the food options.

"Hm… What looks good?"

"TONY?!"

Gene gave her a confused expression.

"Uh…? I get you like him but that's just ridicul-"

"No, look over there you idiot!" Pepper raised a manicured finger to point at Tony walking into the diner, a beautiful brunette girl behind him.

"Hey, isn't that-"

"AMANDA?!"

"WOULD YOU STOP INTERRUPTING ME!"

"Oh, hey guys!" Amanda wordlessly flounced over to them, Gene's face going from an angry one to a slightly amused and seductive one.

"A friend of yours, Pepper?" The red haired girl remembered their deal about her introducing him to Amanda.

"Yes, actually. Gene, I'd like you to meet Amanda. Amanda, I'd like you to meet Gene." The two smiled at each other, Amanda winking flirtatiously before turning her attention back to Pepper.

"Can we sit with you?" Pepper meekly nodded and scooted over so Amanda could scoot in next to her, Tony following suit quizzically on Gene's side.

"Oh, hey guys. What are you doing here?" All four of them looked up to see Rhodey staring down at them.

"Rhodey?" They all chorused in confusion and unison.

"You guys?" Holy shiz. Whitney happily walked over to them while Pepper and Gene stared unbelievable glances.

"Isn't this funny? We're all here… together…" Amanda laughed awkwardly while Rhodey and Whitney moved into the booths after them.

"This should be a fun time…." Tony said while gulping.

If he was lucky, he would get out of this alive.

_**A/N I'm sorry it was a bit rushed but… I couldn't really add detail into this. At least not at the time span I have to complete this **_

_**Not much inspiration for this chapter…Except for maybe Chemicals react. It doesn't even make any sense… but it's a good song **_

_**Only one person left a comment about my crush! No one's interested? How sad **__**and I was sooooo looking forward to sharing about him… *sobs***_


	7. Chapter 7

The six of them all awkwardly sat in the booth, an overwhelming feeling of irony hovering in the air over them.

"Well, I think I'm gonna go get a soda at the front…" Rhodey coughed and stood up. "Anyone want to come with?" Whitney stood up as well.

"YES! I mean, uh, sure Rhodey…" The flaxen haired girl was more than happy to escape the uncomfortable feeling that was in everyone. The two walked away, both of them sighing in relief once they became distant enough.

"I think I need a little air…" Amanda fanned herself while standing up, her white skirt twirling as she spun away from them.

"I think I'll go make sure she doesn't get... mugged… or something…" Gene followed suit and scrambled a little too anxiously out of the booth, trailing closely behind the older girl who just flicked her hair over one shoulder.

Pepper and Tony just sat there, discomfortingly looking anywhere BUT the other person.

Pepper, knowing just how flustered she and Tony were, decided it would be better if she broke the ice now rather than later.

"So, why were you and Amanda here?" Tony brought his gaze to the fiery haired girl sitting across the booth from him. He picked up one of the salt shakers and started playing with it while he thought of an easy way to explain it.

"_Come on, Tony, let's go have some fun!"_

"_Uh, sorry, did you say your name was Amanda? But I'm really not in the mo-"_

"_GREAT! Come on, I have the perfect place for us to go…"_

Tony's eye twitched, a habit he had picked up when he was younger whenever he was or remember a situation of dislike.

"Uh… She just kind of asked to hang out, and we came here. Ironic, huh?" Pepper gritted her teeth, realizing just how much she had the desire to kill Amanda later.

"Yes… very ironic." Another awkward silence. Tony coughed and leaned back in the booth. It had never been so hard to talk to Pepper before. Why now?

"So, what do you think Rhodey and Whitney were doing here?" The ebony haired boy asked, nerves building on his insides. He _really _needed to get this conversation going. It was growing more tense and tense with every passing moment, and he couldn't take it.

"Well, I know Whitney comes here a lot because her dad's company… er, your dad's company… is right across the street." Tony merely nodded, starring at something over Pepper's shoulder. The girl figured it was out the window, where his dad's company was.

"Yeah, Rhodey said something about getting a bite to eat while he was out studying."

"Yeah…"

Tony whistled nonchalantly while Pepper tapped her fingers on the table, her nails making small 'click' sounds with every tap.

"So… what'd you get on question five of the math homework?"

Pepper groaned. "What happened to us Tony! We're supposed to be best friends, yet right now we're struggling to even keep a conversation flowing between us!" The boy sighed.

"I don't know, the bet, Gene, jealousy…"

Pepper raised an eyebrow in questing at Tony. "Jealousy?" the brunet's eyes opened in realization of his last confession.

"Did I say jealousy? I meant… Jell-O… Hey, waiter, can we get some Jell-O over here?" Pepper rolled her eyes.

"If you were jealous of me spending more time with Gene rather than you guys, my friends, it's only for another, like, half a week."

Too bad Pepper didn't realize that when Tony said 'jealousy', he meant he was jealous Pepper was going out with Gene.

"Uhm, ok… So, I heard Gene was taking you to the dance this Friday. That's tomorrow." Pepper laughed.

"Thanks, captain obvious. I'm going dress shopping with Amanda tomorrow. She still doesn't have a date. Even though thousands of guys have asked her, she said she's waiting for a spiky haired brunet whose favorite color is red." Tony's face heated up, but not for the reasons Pepper thought they did.

Tony was blushing in embarrassment and realization that HE didn't have a date either. Not the fact that Amanda implied she wanted to go with him, which was a lie, anyway, since she had her eyes set on Khan, who was taking Pepper because of the bet even though he really liked Amanda and Rhodey wanting to go with Whitney even though she wants Tony to ask her who was stupid because he didn't ask Pepper to the dance in the first place and-

Wow, high school is complicated, isn't it?

* * *

The black stilettos Pepper was wearing made soft, sharp clicks as she paraded down the hallway in a black, mid thigh length high waisted skirt and button down white v-neck tank top, a Chanel Quilted Calfskin Bag hanging off of one shoulder.

Happy let his gaze linger on her swaying form (along with every other guy) before he got two smacks upside the head; one from Gene (her rightful boyfriend) and one from Tony (who's just… Tony).

"Hey babe." A light peck and one hand around her waist made Tony feel even more hatred for the Asian as Rhodey and Happy laughed upon seeing all his willpower go to NOT strangling Gene right then and there.

"Wow, aren't you two just the adorable couple?" Amanda walked over to them in a purple halter top and white jean short shorts, wearing Steve Madden Tayla Heel in Purple Suede heels that turned her outfit from school girl to popstar.

Pepper giggled while Gene just rolled his eyes, a playful smirk on his lips.

"Well, I'm sure me and Tony will be elected king and queen of the dance Tony, right?" The boy shot a competitive at Gene, who just starred icily back at him.

"Right, Amanda."

The bell rang, signaling that it was time for class to start. Tony and Gene had a bit of a stare down before they left there girlfriends (well, Amanda really wasn't Tony's girlfriend, but you get the point) and walked into class. Rhodey and Happy just stood there, shaking there heads.

"Looks like it's just you and me who don't have dates, man." Rhodey slapped a hand down on Happy's shoulder.

"Speak for yourself, dude." A girl with honey colored hair and freckles walked over to them, her tall and slim form wrapping itself around Happy.

"Later!" The two walked away, leaving Rhodey there with his jaw dropped.

_**A/N Here you go, an update! I was sick today, so I figured I should do something productive with my free time. **_

_**I was partially imagining 'I just haven't met you yet' playing as background music in the diner, and then with Tony and Gene's showdown this morning in the hall, I was kind of seeing sum 41's 'over my head'. I don't know, I just pictured it like that.**_

_**:P also, SO GLAD YOU ASKED ABOUT MY CRUSH. I have an obsessive personality, not only with TV shows and videogames, but with boys :)**_

_**So, his name… I won't say :D but he's got dirty blonde hair, he's about two inches taller than me (he's still growing), he's a HUNK, he plays a lot of different sports but I personally love it when he plays the star goalie in our AWESOME nearly undefeated team, he has beautiful azure/cobalt/cerulean eyes, and he's tan, and just amazing in general :) he's so nice, hilarious, and sometimes he gets shy around girls, but it's adorable when he does... :)**_


	8. Chapter 8

Tony Stark turned his head to the gym door that was just abruptly open. Pepper walked into the dance, fashionably late by amount fifteen minutes, wearing a light pink dress that flowed out to just a bit above her knees. White lace flowed out just beneath the bottom of the dress, which was lined with a thin black ribbon. Elegant white heels were resting beneath her feet, as well as her already gorgeous eyes looking brighter and more beautiful than ever before because of the light mocha eye liner and soft pink eye shadow outlining it. Tony couldn't help but think one thing was wrong with this picture.

She was holding onto Gene's arm, who was clad in black dress pants, a black dress shirt, and a milky yellow tie. Tony couldn't resist the aching in his heart that felt like an itch he couldn't quite reach. A simple 'I like you Pepper, and I'm sorry about this stupid bet' would suffice.

Too bad things could never be that simple.

"Stunning, isn't she? I picked out the dress myself." He tilted his head to the left to look at Amanda from over his shoulder, who was happily sporting a slim, strapless, deep purple dress that went to about mid thigh with black stilettos. He turned his attention back to Pepper, who wore a dazzling smile as she greeted some of her friends.

"Isn't she always?" He murmured so low that even Amanda couldn't hear it.

"What was that?"

He couldn't even bring his gaze off of her as he muttered a pathetic response. "Nothing."

* * *

Much time passed. Far too much time for our young hero.

His night had gone accordingly: talk with Rhodey, Happy, and Happy's girlfriend (who went by the name of Tami), secretly watch Pepper who danced all night long with Gene, and every slow song dance with Amanda.

The boy ruffled his hair while exiting the gym. He needed to get some air.

After walking down a couple hallways to the exit, he swung open the large double doors and stepped into the cool, spring night.

He sighed in contentment, and walked to the back to the courtyard fenced in behind the school. It wasn't much; some flowers, Rose bushes, and a fountain in the middle. He turned the corner, and no sooner than he did he realized he wasn't alone.

There, on the edge of the fountain, sat Pepper, her shoes off and resting next to her while she drew circles with her finger on the stone of the fountain. Tony smiled softly; even when she wasn't trying to be, she was beautiful.

"Hey." He made his presence known by strolling into the scene, his hands in his black trouser pockets and his white button down un-tucked. She look up, startled, and once she saw it was Tony, relaxed a bit.

"Hi." He walked until he stood in front of the girl, who was now looking up at him from under her dark, long eye lashes.

"Why are you out here all alone?" She sighed.

"I guess I just wanted to…escape for awhile." She offered a light smile. Tony, opening his mouth to talk, suddenly stopped. He could hear the music playing from inside the Gym, which was actually right next to them. He looked inside one of the windows and realized a slow song was playing; one he was quite fond of.

With a shy smile he offered his hand out to Pepper.

"Would you like to dance?" A small, flustering tinge of pink grew across the bridge of Pepper's nose as she placed her hand in his. With little to no effort, he lifted her to her feet while wrapping his arms around her waist in one swift motion.

Pepper draped her arms over his shoulders while they started to sway, the haunting yet slightly faded melody of the song playing in the background.

The red headed girl inhaled his aroma of cologne while smiling quietly to herself, her eyes fluttering to a close while she placed her head on his shoulder.

Tony rested his chin against her hair while talking, his voice muffled.

"I think Gene and Amanda will be fine with this…" He nudged the shoulder her head was on so she could lift it up to look into the window. Low and behold, there were Gene and Amanda wrapped up in each other's embrace on the dance floor. Pepper laughed gently while placing her head back on his shoulder, already missing the comfort and security that came when she was this close to him.

Moments passed, and although it was only a few minutes, it could have felt like an eternity to the both of them. When they were with each other, it seemed like time halted and moved much slower than it should have been. It was a simple fact; each second can feel like a year when you're with someone you care all too much about.

The song ended, and the two reluctantly pulled away from each other. The DJ announced he would be taking a short break, their only music the wind rustling the trees and splashes from the fountain.

"Pepper…" Although the two had pulled away from each other, they were still standing considerably close. Their noses were bumping with each others, and Pepper could feel Tony's breath on her face while she cradled one of his cheeks in her hand.

"Yes?" He chuckled, and Pepper closed her eyes in hope that she could preserve the moment of their lips hovering just slightly over each others.

"Let's say there's this guy named _**T**_yler, and he really likes this girl named _**P**_enny. But, he made a stupid bet with one of his friends and made a mistake. Would you ever expect her to forgive him, and possibly feel for him as… more than a friend one day?"

Pepper sighed. "You really want to know what I think?" Tony nodded his head, and Pepper smiled.

"I think Tyler and Penny are stupid names. Tony and Pepper are _much _more suiting." Tony laughed before placing a hand on the back of her neck while pulling her closer.

And then he kissed her.

_A/N :)_

_And that's a wrap, people :) Tony and Pepper are a cute and shy couple, I don't think they need anything else but a simple sentence to sum up everything in this story._

_I dedicate this chapter to __cookiesnmilk123__, who was my first friend I made here on fanfiction for Iron Man: Armored Adventures. She's my LOST buddy :) You should read her stuff_

_The slow song I was imagining was __**Landon Pigg's 'Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop'.**_

_It's a beautiful song, perfect for the scene I was thinking of __:)_

_Thank you all for supporting me with Reviews, Alerts, and Favorites on this story and other stories of mine._ _You guys are really the best :) I hope you will continue to review on this, even though I have finished with it._

_LOL for lots of love,_

_Roxalicous_


	9. Epilogue

Pepper typed the final words of her book report on her computer before hitting the print button on the screen. She stretched her arms above her head, yawning as she did so. It was a chilly fall Friday night, and instead of going out with Tony, Amanda, Rhodey, Gene, or Happy, she was stuck inside writing an English report on Shakespeare's _Romeo and Juliet. _

She stood up and wiped her clammy and sweaty hands on her sweat pants, yawning yet another time. She checked her watch; seven on the dot. Everyone probably already had plans or were out already, she figured it was too late to call someone. After yawning one more time, she decided that after she went downstairs to collect her English paper from the printer she could retire for bed early.

As soon as she walked out of her bedroom door, she heard a light crack on her window. She raised an eyebrow curiously before going back into her room.

Another light thump came from her window, and by the time she had walked over to it two more light crackling sounds were heard. Someone, or some_thing _was throwing rocks at her window, and quite frankly she was getting annoyed by this.

Pepper put her hands under the window sill and pushed up, lifting the piece of glass so she could stick her head out of it.

From under the light, but darkening fast, sky, Tony stood whistling nonchalantly in dark jeans, a loose fitting white shirt, and a plain red, unzipped hoodie.

Pepper's expression completely changed as she yelled a "What are you doing here?"

"I thought you'd be relieved to get out of the house for awhile." Pepper smiled softly.

"What'd you have in mind?" When he offered a mysterious grin in return, she rolled her eyes.

"I'll be down in five minutes." She shut her window and pulled the blinds so they were covering it, considering the fact she was about to change. After deciding on black skinny jeans and a white pea coat with a pink tank top under it, she slipped into a pair of black converse and skipped down the stairs and out the front door.

As soon as she got outside, she tackled Tony in a hug. The brunet would have fell over, considering it was, well, Pepper, but he was well used to this by now. He regained his balance before he could fall over, and wrapped his arms around her while chuckling softly.

After sharing a few minutes of hushed conversation and chaste kisses, they intertwined their hands and started walking down the sidewalk of the suburban area Pepper lived in right outside of the city.

"Where are we going?" She asked, looking up at Tony. He just smiled down at her and continued pulling her along.

"Honestly? No where really. I just thought we'd go wherever." Pepper couldn't fight the growing feeling of butterflies in her stomach as he spoke those words. Who'd ever think that she, out of all people, would end up getting her own happily ever after?

"Well alright then. I like being spontaneous." Tony laughed and pulled her down another street. They continued to walk in a comfortable silence until they passed an old elementary school. A playground could be spotted in the back of the aged building, and Pepper suddenly yanked Tony's arm toward the playground.

"Come on, let's go on the swings." Tony groaned.

"Pepper, kids play on these things."

"Tony, you _are _a kid, and you will be until you turn eighteen. Enjoy it while it lasts!"

He sighed in a failed attempt to hide the adoration in his eyes as he watched Pepper take a seat on one of the swings. He took the swing next to her, and neither of them actually started to swing. They just sat there in pure bliss, watching each other with enough warmth and affection for the world.

The moment really was perfect. It was pure, radiant, loving, and the moment seemed just right when Tony leaned in to kiss his girlfriend.

That is, until his phone rang.

Tony cussed under his breath and leaned back, aggravated. He snapped his phone open, and in an annoyed tone, asked "What?"

"_Man, its Rhodey. Where's my homework? I asked you to give it to me after school today, but you totally bailed on me to go shoot hoops with Happy!"_

Tony completely forgot about the stupid little bet that caused all of this nonsense.

But wait: Tony actually smiled. Nonsense?

That nonsense was what brought him and Pepper together.

So, even though Tony could still hear Rhodey's ungrateful yelling and temperamental shouts, he closed it shut and finished off what he had started by capturing Pepper's lips with his own in a breathtaking moment of absolute ecstasy.

He then slid his phone into his pocket, not taking his lips off of Pepper's once, where it stayed for the remainder of the night.

_A/N Alright, that's the epilogue. That's dedicated to_ _XxThe Penny TreasurexX__, who left an awesome comment on my "sincerely, your friend" story. It was me trying something new, and I greatly appreciated it _

_Inspiration for the final chapter was "today was a fairytale" by Taylor swift. One of my favorite songs right now, you've probably heard it before on the radio. And btw, for anyone who's interested, the guy I told you I liked? Yeah, he asked me out. Maybe pepper's not the only one who gets a happily ever after._

_Thank you to anyone who has reviewed, alerted, or favorite this story. Heck, thanks to any one who's read it! I love you all _


End file.
